It’s becoming something of a dubious tradition for me to post outrageously postponed reviews in January, a custom only further perpetuated by the decidedly late arrival of this look at La La Land.

Now as then, the reason for this delay isn’t procrastination (well, the main reason anyway…), but rather it comes as the result of me mulling over my initial, complex reactions to what I had seen.

Because for all that Damien Chazelle’s musical has wowed audiences and critics alike – just this week it received a record-equaling 14 Oscar nominations – I have to admit that I had (and still have) mixed feelings on La La Land, even as I can’t deny the incredible craft that lies at the heart of the film.

It may improve your mood, but singing in the rain is actually a pretty great way to get pneumonia…

With the tragic news of Debbie Reynold’s death last week, film fans around the globe have been celebrating her life by looking back at her amazing career. Of all the films Ms Reynolds starred in, perhaps the most beloved is 1952 classic Singin’ in the Rain.

A breezy comedy-musical charting the struggles of a 1920s film studio to transition from silent movies to “talkies”, Singin’ in the Rain is one of the most iconic flicks in cinema history, and – thanks to its strong cast, influence on the genre, eye-catching visuals, timelessness and charm – it’s arguably the greatest big screen musical ever made.

No man smiles brighter than he who is unknowingly trapped in the friend zone

If there’s one guiding principle that virtually every screenwriter, novelist or comic book scribe can agree on, it’s “write what you know”.

It appears this advice was taken very much to heart by Cameron Crowe when he wrote and directed Almost Famous, a fictionalised account of his own coming of age experiences in the 1970s, which turns 15 this month.